(Newser)
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Alan Thicke was "the greatest man I ever met," says his son, Robin Thicke, following his father's death at age 69 on Tuesday. Thicke tells the Los Angeles Times that his father died while playing hockey with his 19-year-old son, Carter, and that one of the last things he did was give him a compliment. He was "always a gentleman," Thicke says, adding "I saw him a few days ago and told him how much I loved and respected him." More coverage:

The Times notes Thicke was "a lifelong hockey fan and player" who even served as emcee at fellow Canadian Wayne Gretzky's wedding.

The AV Club compiles Thicke's thoughts on his various roles in a "surprisingly eclectic career." He once admitted his short-lived talk show Thicke Of The Night was "lousy," while he joked that his recurring spot as himself on How I Met Your Mother was "the role I was born to play."

Thicke Of The Night launched the career of Arsenio Hall, Thicke's sidekick on the show, per the Times. In a tweet, Hall says Thicke "taught me a lot" and took him to his first LA Kings game.

Meanwhile, Thicke went on to become the patriarch on Growing Pains. "Any part that required a character distanced from myself would have been a reach. But the one thing I've always done well at, and I'm most devoted to, is my children," he later said.

Thicke didn't just act. Billboard notes he wrote and even performed theme songs for TV shows, including Diff'rent Strokes and Wheel of Fortune. His then-wife Gloria Loring even sang his composition for The Facts of Life.

People points out Thicke's wife, Tanya—whom he married in 2005—shared a photo of herself "looking adoringly at her husband" two days before his death. "I've got the cutest designated driver EVER!!!" she captioned the photo of the pair in a car.

Thicke's last tweet was about Netflix's Fuller House, in which he appeared. "Season 2 Fuller House looking good," he tweeted Tuesday. "I even like the ones I'm not in!"

The Hollywood Reporter notes celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Larry King, Bob Saget, Marlee Matlin, William Shatner, and Demi Lovato have paid tribute to the actor on Twitter. The president of Pop TV referred to Thicke as "America's favorite dad."

Never watched that Growing Pains but he seems to get good commentary on his role.

CountryBoy

Dec 14, 2016 2:04 PM CST

I was surprised to hear of his passing. He was one of my favorites, and I liked "Thicke of the Night", likely because of his hosting rather than the guests themselves. Pretty young at 69, but we'll miss him.